Israeli Group: European Jews Face 'Another Holocaust'

Israeli Jewish Congress President Vladimir Sloutsker warned that Jews in Europe are facing "the beginning of another Holocaust" in the wake of the Israel invasion of Gaza, The Jerusalem Post reports.

He told members of the Knesset and foreign diplomats at a special session of the Knesset Immigration Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee that the increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents is "simply intolerable, unacceptable, and inexcusable."

Sloutsker noted that a series of demonstrations by pro-Palestinian activists in Europe have turned violent and included racist chants, such as the attack on an Israeli soccer team last week in Austria.

Calling it an "SOS situation," Sloutsker said the attack on European Jewry has reached a level where it could result in an outbreak of genocide, the Post said.

"Never before since the Holocaust have we seen such a situation as today," he said. "We are potentially looking at the beginning of another Holocaust now. These events will only grow in scale across Europe."

Sloutsker urged European governments to crack down on demonstrations with "strict regulations" in order to prevent more violence against Jews, and he called on Jewish communities across the continent to "unite and consolidate."

He told representatives from such European countries as Denmark, Holland, and France that a special commissioner should be appointed to combat racism, which would "help send a strong message that European leadership is united and committed to combating anti-Semitism, racism, and xenophobia."

Shimon Ohayon, a member of the Yisrael Beytenu party, said Jews are being targeted in Europe "because they are Jews" and not because of the fighting on the Gaza Strip.

Citing a recent riot in a suburb of Paris where a synagogue and Jewish stores were attacked, Ohayon said, "We ask you to stop this wheel of anti-Semitic hatred in Europe."

Rafael Werner, a representative of Belgium's large Jewish community, said Jews are being asked, "Why are you killing children in Gaza?"

He said there is little distinction being made in Belgium between Jews and Israelis, and using the Hebrew term for public diplomacy, he said, "There is no hasbara in Europe."